VERSAILLES, Ky. – Multiple crews are on the scene of a major fire at a bourbon warehouse facility.
Woodford County Emergency Management Director Drew Chandler said two barrel warehouses at a Jim Beam aging facility caught fire around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Chandler said one warehouse initially caught fire with flames spreading to the second structure.
Crews were able to put out the flames in the second warehouse. Flames were still visible in the first warehouse five hours after the fire started.
Chandler says approximately 45,000 barrels of bourbon were in the warehouse that was still burning. He speculated crews could be on scene until late Wednesday night.
Multiple agencies are working to put the fire out. Bluegrass Emergency Response Team out of Lexington is bringing foam to the scene.
Chandler also said it’s possible the fire was caused by a lightning strike, but that has not been confirmed.
Dan Cohen, who is the spokesman for Jim Beam’s parent company Beam Suntory, said no one was hurt in the fire, and the company thanked first responders who remain at the scene.
